Moms of 19-20 month olds

Brougham7-15-06

If you are already past this age, please feel free to answer too.

At that age, could your LO walk up and down a flight of stairs by themselves...meaning holding onto a railing..or perhaps independently?  I don't mean crawling up the steps or scooting down on their butt, actually walking.

I ask because DS went for his PT eval after working at home for 2 months this past week and they said he is caught up except for that particular "milestone"

Maybe i am just not around enough children this age to know, but that seems like an awful lot of a child that age to be able to walk up and down steps themselves.

so educate me....

lmdbww

My niece could at that age.

DD is almost th19 months and can't, but only because she's not tall enough to reach the hand rail.  I kind of doubt she'll be able to for a while.  She has tried though, and even tried w/me holding her hand to go down, but she got nervous and changed her mind.

HeatherMO

no- not by himself. He will hold someone's hand and try to go up and down "standing up" but not independently. He does go up and down the small two steps from the kitchen to his play room but that's it.   he still crawls up and scoots down.

 

KrisO

My DD is 20 months, and we are not close.  But we don't let her play on the stairs much, so I am not suprised.  But that seems early to me, too.

Shell24

I agree with you. I'm sure some kids can at this age, but for them to still consider him "behind" for that seems extreme. My DD can go up this way, for the most part, but she occasionally would have to "crawl" up a step or two. Going down she would also have to hold someone's hand. She can't do it completely on her own. But she doesn't get a ton of practice since we don't have stairs.

SBMBride406

No. He does 1 step per foot, so he's ok for a step or 2, but then he looses his balence and will start falling backwards..

mommyofmiles

My DS definitely does not, but we have never even let him try. I feel like he is much safer just scooting. I don't think he would be able to do it very well though, especially not down the stairs.

welshgirl

DS is 19.5 months. He can just about walk up the stairs holding the rail, but certainly not by himself. I'm usually still right behind helping balance. (He gets distracted and tries to turn around every other step.) And he's nowhere near being able to walk down! (Except for a few steps at a time, like out hte front door.) But, fwiw, he didn't walk properly til 13-14 months. I had no idea that was an age appropriate milestone???

Paigeo

My DD is part of EI so DH and I recently also had this very discussion.  For us no DD does not actually walk up and down stairs at this point.  Going up she kind of crawls/half walks.  She definitely scoots on her butt going down.  She is a shorty so I don't know how much that matters.  This was on the development list that I reviewed with my EI caseworker at our Jan appointment but she said it was the very last thing on the gross milestone list and didn't seem concerned that DD wasn't doing it.  We also had an appointment with her neurologist a couple of weeks ago and he also didn't seem concerned about the stairs thing.  He was more intersted in watching her walk and that all her movements/muscle tone seemed appropriate.  I think this is a tough age in terms of milestones for both gross and verbal because their seems to be a very wide range of "normal".

welshgirl

mommyofmiles:

My DS definitely does not, but we have never even let him try. I feel like he is much safer just scooting. I don't think he would be able to do it very well though, especially not down the stairs.

Yes, I'm actually working at encouraging scooting down the stairs on his bottom - I don't wnat him to walk down them right now!

armywife7205

DD can... she cant reach the railing so she uses the wall. We have 2 large flights of stairs so she has a TON of practice!  I often hold her hand or walk right behind her (going up) just because they make me nervous but she can. I think it depends on your DC leg length. She is VERY long legged and can, but shorter legs would have a huge problem. 

Carifly

Penny's 22 months old and can't do this- though it is partly my fault because our stairs are wooden and steep, so I'm scared to let her practice here. Plus she can't reach the railing. But she is also not a climber- she has never tried to get out of her crib and has trouble with things like getting onto the sofa. She may be behind, but I'm not concerned about it at all. I've never met an adult who can't walk down the stairs...

Mia Wallace

I thought the age for this "milestone" was 2 years. I wouldn't worry about it and I don't think your child is behind in this at all.

MrsPreK

Yes. I no longer block the stairwells going upstairs as I trust him completely walking up and down by himself.

Erin&AJDigs

Scarlett started walking at about 10 months.

She was walking up and down the steps by herself by about 11 months.  She held onto the wall until she could reach the rail.

I wanted her to go down on her bottom, but she was determined and stubborn to do it the right way.

 

Good Luck!

 

Brougham7-15-06

Thanks everyone! I am not concerned about it at all because it seems "advanced" to me...I was just curious if many children this age were actually doing it since she said that children by 19 months should be able to go that.  He is fine in all other aspects, so I am not concerned about steps.

Temp700366562504480

DS can but I've never let him do it by himself.  He usually holds on to the spindles with one hand and my hand with the other.  He likes to overlap  edge of the stairs with his feet and sometimes step with the wrong foot and lose his balance.

SassyRedhead

DD is 19 months and yes she can walk up the stairs holding the railing.

kelbrian

Liliana isn't tall enough - her legs don't reach! She tries, though, and is successful for some staircases. But most? No. She's not tall enough.

Mominator

Yes, DS has been able to since about 17-18mths, walking down may have happened a touch younger. He never learned how to crawl/scoot down the steps so he has always walked. It's actually funny to see him walk up the steps even now because he has such short little legs

ETA: I'm not sure if it makes a difference at all, but DS has been walking since 9.5mths.

Bride2bMO

Maybe, but he's too young to try. He holds my hand, no exceptions. I know of several kids older than him who've been seriously injured on the stairs.

kelly&marty

DS can holding our hands, but he can't reach the railing. He only started doing the hand holding and walking on his feet about a month ago.

I don't think they should be able to do it on their own yet, that's odd. 

VTbride05

No.... Henry crawls up and slides on his belly down. I watch other kids and know of at least 3 others this age that can not walk up/down by themselves.

skoorbnibor

yeah. no way. Not only can E not reach the handrail, but he is so short, the rise of the stair is the same as the length of his leg... so he needs to hold my hand so I can sort of pull him up, or crawl.

Not to mention safety! 

MrsTotty

Yes, if there is a railing for him to hold on to, he can go up and down by himself.  If not, he needs a hand to hold. 

funchicken

DD can walk up herself, not down, but she prefers to hold my hand.  We don't have stairs, and we live on the 1st floor, so she doesn't get a lot of opportunities to practice.

GabbysMama

DD can but we have steps in our house and we have tried to teach her at a young age.  I would never let her do it own her own but I think she probably could.  I would think it would depend on if you have stairs in your house.  If you don't when would your child learn.  I wouldn't worry at all!

Mrs.Hagen2

Yes. She could walk up and down the stairs holding on to a railing. Now she can walk up and down holding on to nothing which freaks me out!

Luckystar2

skoorbnibor:

yeah. no way. Not only can E not reach the handrail, but he is so short, the rise of the stair is the same as the length of his leg... so he needs to hold my hand so I can sort of pull him up, or crawl.

Not to mention safety! 

Ditto.  DD must be too short.  She is average height but is all torso with short legs.  Theres just no way she could do this on her own.  I much prefer her crawling anyways for safety

IckyThump

No, DS will only do it if he can hold on to someone's hand. Otherwise he crawls up.

Mrs.tlcS

nope.  DD won't even attempt crawling/sliding down the stairs.  She was crawling up stairs, but has stopped. 

She's also a small kid, and is no where near able to reach the handrail.

sweetfrogy

DS was closer to 2.  Our stairs are also hardwood, so I wasn't even comfortable letting him try because it was so easy to slip and fall.

MattsWifey<3

Yes. Shes been able to do so for a while now but I think it's because we have spindles on our stairs so she has something to hold onto the whole way.

Amrice78

He can, but I usually make him hold my hand instead because I get too nervous that he may fall.

ETA: this is going up stairs - there is no way I'd even let him try going down stairs, even holding my hand he goes too fast and definitely would fall if he was doing it independently

what??

My DS is is in PT too and he just turned 20 months.  He only started 100% walking at 19 months but his PT did say that at 18 months they should be able to walk up 4 steps with one hand on the wall or railing or your hand.   It's one of the last milestones.  Being my son was a late walker, no he is not doing this.  He crawls up them just fine and goes on his belly to go down.  He has a weak core so I am nervous of him going down on his butt that he will fall forward.  I don't put too much thought into this.  They will get it.